Evaluate my build please

[guilmon14]

Hey this build is for a freind of mine and his price range was 1000 to 1300 dollars. Any suggestions would be great!

NZXT Source 210 S210-001 Black “Aluminum Brush / Plastic” ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811146075

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835103065

ASRock Z75 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813157304

Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM $36
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820139075

Intel Core i5-3570K $230
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819116504

SAMSUNG Internal DVD $19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827151255

Western Digital RE4 WD5003ABYX 500GB 7200 RPM $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136697

hec ZEPHYR ZEPHY580MX 580W $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817339034

ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor $180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824236052

Logitech MK120 Black USB Wired Slim Desktop $18

XFX Double D FX-787A-CDFC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition $260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814150605

[Chrispy_]

You really want an SSD in there, even if it's only a small one to use as a cache.
I also haven't heard much about HEC for power supplies. Look for a Seasonic, Corsair or Antec if I were you.
There's nothing wrong with a 7870, but for a few bucks more you can pick up either a 660Ti or a 7950 which are probably wiser investments. If your friend isn't a big gamer, then a 7750 will still do 1080p gaming just fine, but it'll save money and be quieter/cooler.

Check out the system guides on TR.
The sweet spot isn't a bad starting place, but you probably don't need the Xonar soundcard.
There's likely very little need for a full sized case, either so you could easily go for a MicroATX board inside something a little smaller such as the Silverstone TJ08-E or Fractal Design Arc Mini.

As always, the real question is "what does he/she want to do with it?"
The advice I've given, as well as the TR system guides, are 'general purpose' machines capable of everything - but it's possible to tailor a system specifically towards gaming, media, CAD, graphics work, etc....

[chuckula]

Chrispy_ has a good point about the SSD. I recently saw a Newegg sale where a 60 GB OCZ was going for only $30. It's enough space to fit the OS and basic apps while the big data like movies/music/photos/etc. go on the spinning media.

[guilmon14]

I was going to get him a SSD but he requested otherwise and nothing i said could convince him.

[Chrispy_]

His loss on the SSD; In a couple of years he'll be BEGGING you for one

Software is starting to take advantage of the higher IOPS SSD's provide, which is only one step away from a point in the future where software runs like ass on a mechanical disk (assuming you don't think we're there already. Since I'm a heavy Adobe and Autodesk user, I think we passed that point about two/three years ago!)

[JustAnEngineer]

Adobe software runs poorly and/or crashes frequently on all hardware, in my experience.

[chuckula]

Adobe software runs poorly and/or crashes frequently on all hardware, in my experience.

Indeed. It's nice to see that Adobe doesn't discriminate based on the type of hardware used to run its software.

[mdk77777]

Hec PSU...but why?

you are looking at $80 delivered. For that price there are dozens of better choices.

Gold rated...great regulation at $60 delivered or $80 delivered modular.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817182066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817182261

Heck you can get a PLAT for $80 delivered.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817182081

get the 450 watt gold, and take the $20 and step up to the AMD 7950

Edit: typo...$20 won't get you very far towards the difference on the AMD 7970

Much better PSU and graphics card....win win

[Chrispy_]

Adobe software runs poorly and/or crashes frequently on all hardware, in my experience.

Heh, too true.

At least with an SSD the frequent Adobe restarts are only a five-second nuisance rather than a minute-long disk massacre

[Airmantharp]

Just wanted to comment that you've done a pretty good job with that initial build. It's obvious you're making some sacrifices to get the performance to a certain point, but overall there's very little to criticize!

[DPete27]

I'm with others on the poor PSU choice, but I think there's plenty of good suggestions. Everything else looks okay for the most part. Have you seen this ASUS e-IPS monitor for $190? I think it's a much more attractive option at the same price point.

Oh, and spend the extra $5 on the $35 Hyper 212 EVO. It's got flattened heatpipes for better conductivity and an improved fan.